Raven's Flight
by shadowbear
Summary: Post Beyond the Shadows; Karasu is left parentless, in mental shambles, and must now survive on her own. When Sasuke approaches her telling her she might be able to see her father again, she finds herself taking on a great mystery and the greatest adventure of her life. Meanwhile, she will be hunted by Konoha's anbu while she tries to unravel the secrets laid out before her.
1. Chapter 1

Raven's Flight

Chapter 1

A young sixteen year old girl stood in an open clearing in a forest. She was embraced by her father who stood in front of a shimmering portal. He stroked her greyish blue hair softly as tears trickled down her cheek.

"Please don't go. I forgive you. I'm going to miss you, please dad, don't leave me here, not like this." the girl said.

"I have to do this, I told you already. I can't keep running away from my reality." her father said. He broke free from his daughter and handed her two envelopes. "Take these. The first, open when you get home, the second, open on your wedding night." He turned to the portal and was about to step though when his daughter called out to him on last time.

"Wait, dad! Take this!" she said taking off her necklace and giving it to him. "Mom gave it to me for my birthday. She said it was the only thing her mother left her, she passed it down to me and now I'm giving it to you. Take it as a memento of me and mom..."

Her father smiled and took the necklace placing it around his neck. "I'll never take it off. No matter where I go, you two will always be with me." He embraced his daughter one last time. "Goodbye Karasu. I love you." He broke from the embrace for the last time, and stepping through the portal, disappeared.

Karasu dropped her head, allowing her bangs to cover her face. She turned and left the forest to return home. When she came to the gates of the village, there was an anbu waiting for her.

"Karasu, may we speak with you?" the agent asked.

"I've been through a lot today, I'm not really much in the mood for talking..." she replied.

"We are very sorry to hear that, but we must insist, seeing that your mother and grandfather are dead, with you being the only witness." the agent said.

Karasu sighed, "Fine. Lead the way..." and followed the agent back to their headquarters in a remote part of the village. She was seated in an interrogation room with the agent who brought her there.

"May I get you something to drink?" the agent asked.

"No thanks." she replied, her eyes going hazy.

"Look, Karasu, I'm sorry about what happened. I'm just here to ask you about the details of the matter. Anything and everything you know to help us with the investigation. We've also taken the liberty of setting aside some temporary housing for you while your house is being taken care of." the agent told her.

"I'll save you a lot of time and effort. My father is the culprit. He killed Grampa, and he killed mom, and you'll never be able to catch him." she said.

"What do you mean we won't be able to catch him? Were you a conspirator in your grandfather's and mother's murder?" the agent asked.

Karasu stood from her seat and glared at him with rage, "Of course I wasn't! Why would I kill my own family and destroy my life, leaving me to dwell in loneliness and pain?!"

The agent held up his hands, "Calm down Karasu, I was just testing you, I know you didn't have anything to do with the murders, however I would like you to elaborate on your previous comment. You said we won't be able to catch your father? Why not?"

"Because he went back home." she said angrily folding her arms.

"Again, please elaborate." the agent asked.

Karasu looked over at him, her expression was a mix of anger, sadness, but also fear. "Before I tell you what happened, I have one question for you."

"And what would that be?" the agent asked.

"Do you believe that there are some incredible jutsu in this world that are capable of unbelievable things?" she asked.

"I have seen so incredible jutsu in my day that have left me in shock, so to some degree, yes, I do believe that." the agent replied.

"That's encouraging because what I'm about to say would fall under that category." Karasu said. "My father will never be found because he returned to his dimension, or more accurately, his form of reality."

"He what? How is that possible?" the agent asked.

"It turns out the Uchiha have an advanced ability where they are able to send someone to what is considered their 'dream world', under the right conditions of course. My father had a run in with an Uchiha who sent him to his dream world which happens to be the reality we are in now. From what dad told me, the real world and dream worlds are supposed to be similar in nature but the person who is sent there has the capability to change it based on their deepest desires..." Karasu said.

"I hate to cut you off, but what was the ability like and what was your father's deepest desire that shaped this world if any at all?" the agent asked.

"Dad said the dream world jutsu is a genjutsu that can be applied with the sharingan an the help of a red full moon. As to what my father's desires were, well, from what he stated, in his reality, my mom, nor grandfather are alive. Grampa died when my father was eight while on a mission as an anbu, and mom died while trying to kill a man who started a world war. My dad admitted to having many loves in his life but of them all, my mom was the one whom he loved the most. So naturally you could expect his desire would want to be with her and Grampa again." Karasu replied.

The agent looked down, "That's very unfortunate... but how does all of that relate to their murders here?"

"When my father was sent to this world, he was given a chance to return home in the exact same way he came in. The man who sent him here was ready and willing to do so, but my dad refused. Having mom and Grampa back in his life was enough to make him want to stay. Not too long ago he was given another offer to return home however to return, it would come at a price. He was given a riddle which took my dad a while to figure out and to his dismay, the price was heavy. 'Give back what was given to you; take back what was taken away.'" Karasu said, tears forming again in her eyes.

"You mother, your grandfather, they were the riddle, but if they were what was lost to your father, what was taken from him?" the agent asked.

"The love of another woman. His old squad-mate. A lady named Sachiko. In my dad's reality, they were in love and had a relationship going. In his dream world, she was dead, or that's what we all thought." she replied.

"What do you mean?" the agent asked.

"She was the bitch that crashed my birthday party not too long ago and was responsible for all the chaos that ensued. She planted those bombs around the village causing everyone to panic. Dad fought her and defeated her. She told us that on the mission they thought she died on, she merely drifted with the current, was recovered by some farm boy, and suffered from amnesia for years. When she finally recovered, she tried to return to the village to be with dad, but was too late, my dad was already with my mom. She snapped and devised a plan to kill everyone my dad loved, including me, to get back at him." Karasu said clinching her fists with anger. "So the last piece to the riddle was fixing things with her. When he did that, a portal opened up and allowed my dad passage. He did everything he needed to do to return home."

The anbu agent smirked and stood up from his chair, "That's quite an interesting story. One would almost think either it was a well rehearsed story or that you are just insane."

"What?! It's the truth, I swear! I know it's hard to believe but it's all true!" Karasu screamed.

"We're going to have to take you into custody for the time being while we investigate this matter. If we don't find any evidence that you were actually involved with the murders, then we'll let you go, if we do, well, then you'll just be executed." the agent said.

"I thought you said you believed me!" Karasu cried.

The agent wagged his finger. "I said no such thing, I only agreed that there incredible jutsu existed in this world." he walked around to Karasu and handcuffed her. "I'll show you to your cell now."

Karasu struggled as she was being led off "No, stop, please! I have nothing to do with my father's crime! Let me go!"

When they arrived at her cell, she was violently tossed in, and skidded across the floor. She didn't move, she just cried. Hours passed and Karasu could see the moon up in the sky. She remembered her father had given her a letter to read when she had gotten home. Given the situation and the stress she was under, the curiosity of what her father's letter would contain calmed her a bit. She reached into her pocket and opening the letter, held it to the moonlight to see what was written.

 _Dear Karasu,_

 _By now, you should be home reading this and I am back in my own world. I will never be able tell you how sorry I am for the way things ended. I can't tell you how much despite all that I've done that I still love you with all my heart and soul. I can only pray that one day the storm will subside and you will find the strength and compassion to forgive me. I know full and well things are about to become much tougher on you because from here on out, you are on your own. I know this may not mean much given the circumstances, but for what it is worth, you don't have to worry about any financial instability. Your mother and I have a significant amount of money set aside in the event one or both of us were no longer in your life. I trust you will spend it wisely. All the information you will need is also included in this envelope._

 _For now, please take care and always remember the teaching your mother and I passed_ _down to you. You are an incredible young woman, Karasu, and I have faith in you to keep_ _moving forward and grow stronger with each step you take. I will never forget the years I spent_ _in this world nor the time I spend with you and your mother. Above all else, thank you for being_ _a part of my life. It'll be a painful change to not have you in my life anymore and to watch you_ _continue to grow. I love you, Karasu, never forget that._

 _Love,_

 _Dad_

Karasu's face was filled with tears once more. She was truly on her own now. She muddled through the envelope to find the other paperwork her dad mentioned in the letter. It was a list of bank accounts, their locations, but oddly enough, there was a record of another house. This was a house that Karasu had never heard either of her parents mention ever before. The house was located in Amegakure, the village where her mother originated from. Scanning the other documents more thoroughly, she saw that some of the bank accounts were also located in Amegakure. She came to the conclusion that there would be no way the anbu agents would find her innocent. If they didn't kill her, she would be locked away for the rest of her life in an insane asylum. There was only one thing she could do now.

Karasu placed the envelope back in her pocket. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, her body melted into the shadows of her room. She traveled through the shadows of the cell's window to the outside. She didn't reappear until she made it to the outside of the village. There was no use in going home since it was now in the hands of the anbu.

She headed down the western road in the dead of night, she turned back on last time to look at her old home. She knew she would never be able to come back. Her life was now to start anew.

After many days of travel, she finally arrived in Amegakure. The rain poured down on the village as it always did, and the towering skyscrapers cast a shadow over everything. She wandered around aimlessly looking for a bank to access her money. She saw an older woman approaching her, she had blonde hair and green eyes, donning some official looking clothing. She looked like to be the best person to speak with.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Karasu called out.

The woman stopped to give her attention to Karasu. "Yes my dear, what is it?"

"I'm a bit lost, I was wondering if you could point me to where the bank is?" Karasu asked.

The woman smiled kindly, "Of course, the bank in the central part of our village. To get there from here, all you'll need to do is continue following this street for five blocks then turn left and keep going until you reach the village square. It'll be hard to miss."

Karasu smiled softly and bowed, "Thank you ma'am." she then went in the direction that the woman told her to.

"That young lady, she looks familiar somehow, but from where?" the woman thought to herself as she continued on her way.

It wasn't long before Karasu reached the bank where her accounts were located. The bank was small and dimly lit. She was the only person in the building besides the teller.

"May I help you?" the teller called out to her.

Karasu approached the teller and handed her the slip of paper with her account number on it. "I'd like to make a withdraw from this account, please."

The teller took the slip of paper and grabbed a pen, "Your name and date of birth?" she asked.

"Karasu and it's April twentyeigth." Karasu replied.

The teller wrote her name down on the slip of paper with her account number on it. The teller walked to the back room and began to search through some files until she found the one she was looking for. She nodded her head as if to be confirming information. She walked back to Karasu and handed her the slip of paper with her account number, "How much are you looking to withdraw today Ms. Karasu?"

"Give me fifty credits. Just enough to buy me a few groceries to last the next couple of days." Karasu replied.

"As you wish." the teller said. Filling out a withdraw slip, she stamped it and then handed Karasu her money. "Would you like a receipt from this transaction?"

"Yes, please." Karasu replied and was given a receipt. She placed the cash in her pocket and read over the receipt. Her eyes widened when she saw the remaining balance. She had no idea such a large amount of money had been set aside for her all these years.

Karasu set aside her bank account numbers and pulled out the papers which had an address on it. Attached was a map to show exactly where the home was in the village. She followed the map until she finally arrived at the house. The map also stated where the key was, once retrieved, she entered the house. It was a moderate sized house, a two bedroom, two bath house. It had a large kitchen and medium sized living room. All the furniture was in place, but were covered in sheets to protect from dust and dirt.

She explored the house to become more familiar with it. After a long day of traveling, she decided to prepare the master bedroom for herself. She set up everything minimally in order for her to just have a bed to sleep on. She planned to clean the house the next day.

Morning soon arrived and Karasu awoke to the rays of sunshine peering at her though the window. She stretched and yawned. Making her bed she slowly walked through the house planning how she was going to clean the house. She figured the best place to start would be to remove all the sheets and start cleaning the floor. She opened the doors and windows to let fresh air circulate through the house. Fortunately enough, it wasn't raining today so cleaning the dust and dirt out the house was much easier.

As Karasu was in the back of the house cleaning out one of the bedrooms, she heard a voice call out to her. "Hello, is anyone home?"

Karasu wiped her forehead and proceeded to the front of the house where she saw the same lady who directed her toward the bank the day before.

"Hello again my dear. Quite the surprise to see you here. Might I ask what you are doing here?" the woman asked. She was a middle aged woman with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. She donned a casual dress with the rain village insignia on it.

Karasu smiled, "This is my house. I just moved in. I'm just trying to clean everything and settle in."

"You're Konan's child aren't you?" the woman asked.

Karasu looked at her puzzled, "How do you know my mother?"

"Your mother and I go way back; you know she was running this village before I was. She stepped down many years ago to be with her lover who lived in a far away village. Some years later, she came back to purchase this house and told me this would be for her child in the event of an emergency." the woman replied. "Is everything alright, dear?"

Karasu was silent for a few moments and spoke up, "My parents are both dead..."

The woman looked down in sadness, "I didn't think this day would come. I should have known who you were the second I saw you in this house. You are the spitting image of your mother after all. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Karasu didn't know how to respond to this, but she only smiled stuck out her hand, "We haven't been formally introduced, my name is Karasu."

The woman shook her hand, smiling, she replied, "My name is Hamako Tukiyo, and I'm the current leader of this village. It is a pleasure to formally be acquainted with the child of a good friend and to welcome you to our humble village."

"Thank you Ms. Tukiyo for your warming welcome." Karasu said, bowing to her.

Their interaction was interrupted when a knock came from the door; it was a postal man holding a package in his hand. "Excuse me, are you Ms. Karasu?" the man asked.

Karasu and Hamako looked over, "Yes, I am." she replied walking over to him.

"Will you please sign here for this package?" he asked holding out a pen and paper.

"Sure, I guess. I wonder what it could be, I just moved here." she thought to herself and she signed the paper and took the package. When she looked down she saw the name of the sender, it was her father. "Just when I thought dad didn't have anymore surprises up his sleeve he gives me this." she said disgruntled.

"What did you get, Karasu?" Hamako asked.

"I know know but there's one way to find out." she said using her wood style jutsu to produce a letter opener to tear open the package to reveal a framed family photo of her, Konan, and Don. Tears formed in her eyes when she saw it. Hamako's eyes widened when she saw the jutsu Karasu used to open the package. That was the day of her previous birthday. The memories swelled in her mind and pierced into her heart.

"What is it?" Hamako asked.

Karasu handed her the picture frame and walked off to sit on her front porch. Hamako looked contently at the picture of Karasu and her parents. The sight of Konan and her daughter made her smile, but when she looked over at Don, her eyes grew wide with awe. "I don't believe it, it all makes sense now..." she said to herself. She placed the picture frame on the mantle piece which sat above the fireplace in the living room and joined Karasu outside, sitting next to her.

"Karasu, I know things are hard for you right now. I just want to let you know that if you ever need anything or need anyone to talk with, I'll be here for you." she said wrapping her arms around Karasu as she was sobbing.

"Thank you Ms. Tukiyo." Karasu said, sniffling.

"Please, call me Hamako." Hamako replied. "Karasu, I just realized something..."

Karasu looked up, "What is it?" she asked.

"I didn't know you were also Don's daughter as well." she replied with slight anxiety in her voice.

"What do you mean, how do you know my dad?" she asked.

"Because I'm his mother." Hamako replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You're my grandmother?!" Karasu exclaimed. "How is that?!"

"Calm down, Karasu, this is just as much of a shock to me as it is to you. I didn't realize it until just a few seconds ago when I saw the picture of your father. He looks exactly like Natsu when he was Don's age." Hamako replied.

"I don't understand, how come no one has ever mentioned you ever before?" Karasu asked completely shocked at this new discovery.

Hamako frowned and her heart began to race as sadness overwhelmed her. "It's a bit of a touchy subject, but as you are my own kin, you deserve to know the truth. The reason no one ever talks about me is because I am a deserter. A short time after Don was born, I fled the village never to return again. As much as your grandfather tried to stop me, he ultimately failed and disappeared from his life forever. He took it very hard and I became dead to him."

"I don't understand, why did you leave?" Karasu asked.

"Because I was being selfish." she replied. "I was always the adventurous type, I couldn't be tied down in one place for very long, but most of all, I wasn't ready to be a mother. No, that's no completely right. I was just too afraid of being a failure of a mother. My fear got the best of me and I ran..."

Karasu's eyes turned from sadness and curiosity, to anger. She stood up screaming "You ran out on my dad and grandfather all because you didn't want to be tied down and thought you were going to be a crappy mom?! Do you even realize the damage you caused for them, especially my dad? Do you even realize the life my dad has had to live because he didn't have you in his life? He was completely consumed by darkness. All he felt was loneliness and pain! Your fear came true, you turned out to be a failure of a mother!"

"Karasu... I..." she began but was cut off.

"Don't you dare say you are sorry. That's all I've been hearing from the people who've hurt me lately. Leave now, I don't ever want to see you ever again!" Karasu said, her rage consuming her and her face beginning to become extremely red.

Hamako left the house with tears running down her face.

"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. That woman is my grandmother. The scum who walked out on my dad and Grampa. All these years and she never even once tried to return home and make amends for her actions. At least dad did everything in his power to own up to his actions... well, now I see where he got his desire to leave villages from." Karasu said to herself. She continued to clean the house for the rest of the day and by the end of it had everything prepared the way she wanted it.

The very next day, Karasu retrieved some money from her account and went to the market. There she bought new clothes, food, and other supplies for herself. The truth about her grandmother shook her emotions even more. She didn't want to stay here any longer so she decided to pack her things and travel. Hitting the road always calmed her and gave her a chance to think about things and overcome them. Before she left, she sent a messenger hawk to her intended destination to inform that she was going to be arriving in the next couple of weeks.

Karasu spent many lonely nights on the road staring into her campfire thinking about all that had happened recently: her mother and grandfather dying, her father abandoning her, and now her grandmother. She knew it would take time to come to terms with everything, the hardest part was figuring out how.

A couple of weeks went by and she finally reached her destination, the village of Kirigakure. Waiting for her were two mist village ninja. They escorted her to where she would be staying for her duration in the village. When they reached a house in a secluded corner of the village, the escort ninja left Karasu. She then knocked on the door, and within a few moments, heard the sound of someone walking to the door, and unlocking it. When the door opened, there stood Mei Terumi.

"Karasu, it's so good to see you, I'm so happy you decided to come visit!" she said happily opening her arms for a hug.

Karasu hugged Mei, "Grandma Mei, it's so good to see you too!"

Mei noticed that Karasu's hug was slightly different than normal, as if something was bothering her. "How have you been?" she asked smiling at her.

"I.. I've been fine..." she said trying to hide her true emotions.

Mei chucked at Karasu, "You know, Karasu, I can tell when something is wrong with someone. I remember when your father would try to hide his emotions from me but I'd see right through him. Call it mother's intuition."

"It's nothing, I promise." Karasu said timidly.

Mei looked at her sternly, "Karasu, please don't take me for a fool. I know what's going on. Even if I couldn't see through your blatant lie right now, when were you planning on telling me your grandfather and mother are dead and that your father is missing?"

Karasu turned red with shame and anger and burst out, "Just shut up! It's none of your business! I didn't come here so I could be interrogated by you!" she then walked out the door slamming it behind her.

Mei sighed placing her hand to her face, "Way to go Mei, you see your granddaughter for the first time in years and this is how you start." She then headed out the house to pursue Karasu.

Mei saw Karasu in the distance and ran to catch up to her. "Karasu, stop!" she called out to her. She quickly caught up to Karasu and stopped her from continuing any further.

Karasu had tears in her eyes. Mei just embraced her. "Karasu, I'm sorry for snapping at you like that and upsetting you. I can only imagine the pain you are going through. I let myself get get carried away and allowed myself to get pushy. You should take this at your own pace and open up to me when you're ready. Please forgive me."

Karasu broke away from Mei, "I need to be alone for a while." she said as she began to walk off again.

"I'll have dinner ready for us in a couple of hours, so be back home by then, ok?" Mei called out to her.

Karasu just raised her hand to her in acknowledgment. Some time later, Karasu reached a secluded strip of shore. There she sat and stared off into the horizon and reflect on everything swirling around her mind. She balled up and began to tear up again. From behind she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Karasu, is that you?"

Karasu looked up to see an older man in his late thirties, standing before her. He had black hair and black eyes. His attire was also black and on the back of his shirt, was the family emblem of the Uchiha. He softly smiled at her.

"Who are you?" Karasu asked squinting her eyes at him.

The man bowed, "I am Sasuke Uchiha of the Hidden Leaf, and might I say, you are quite the difficult young ninja to track down."

Karasu's eyes shot open and she jumped to her feet and drew a kunai from her sleeve. "Back off, if you value your life, you will leave me alone!"

Sasuke held his hand up to her, maintaining he composure. "I am not here to harm you Karasu. I am here merely to offer you my assistance and information."

"How do I know you aren't here to kill me?" Karasu asked.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have bothered calling out to you, now would I?" he replied giving her a cocky smile.

Karasu glared back at Sasuke, "You do have a point..." she replied letting down her guard.

"I know you were sitting down earlier, mind if I join you?" Sasuke asked.

"I guess so." Karasu replied as she sat back into the sand, followed by Sasuke.

"I'm glad I finally found you. When I received news of what happened, I rushed to Konoha to see you but when I arrived, word was that you had disappeared. I spoke with some anbu agents and they told me the story you gave them. I realized it was definitely important that I see you." Sasuke said.

"That's nice and all, but why did you want to see me in the first place?" Karasu asked.

Sasuke smiled softly, "I'm your godfather."

"Godfather, huh? So why does it take my mother and grandfather's murder, and then my dad's disappearance for all these random 'family' members to start showing up?" Karasu asked.

"Your father never spoke of me to you? Wow, that asshole. We've been friends since childhood. I guess that's what happens when you don't see friends for years. You miss out on seeing them have kids and getting to know their family and such. With a man like Don, it's to be expected..." Sasuke replied.

"Can you cut to the chase now? I really did come out here to be alone. Unless what you are about to tell me is really all that important, please go." Karasu said becoming irritated.

"Trust me, you'll want to hear this." Sasuke replied.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked.

"I'll start by asking you, if you could see your father again, would you take that opportunity?" Sasuke asked.

Karasu looked at him puzzled, "What do you mean, what kind of question is that?" she replied.

"Answer the question; it's rather simple, it's either yes or no. If you say yes, then what I have to tell you would benefit you greatly, if the answer is no, then I'll be on my way." Sasuke replied.

She wanted to say no. At this point in time she was despising her father so much, but the curiosity peaked her interest. To see her father again? How would that even be possible? He went back to his reality, leaving her in his dream world. A thought crossed her mind, what if she could see her father again? She could exact her revenge upon him, to the extent of taking his life...

"So what will it be Karasu? I know right now it must be difficult on you, but surly you'd want to see your father again." Sasuke said.

"Yes, I would like to see him again. My biggest question to you is how is that going to happen?" she asked.

"It's going to be the same way your father came here, however with a minor difference." Sasuke said.

"So I'm going to be sent to my father's world by use of sharingan on a full moon that's blood red, but what's the difference?" she asked.

"Well in a sense yes, but not exactly. You see the jutsu that was used on your father wasn't originally an optical jutsu. It turns out, it was a jutsu created and developed on pen in paper by my clan. It was a powerful jutsu but the problem was that it wasn't practical in use because there was so much preparation that went into it that being able to trap a target into the jutsu was very much impossible. After many generations of experimentation, the Uchiha were able to use the sharingan to implement it instead of the original methods of executing the jutsu." Sasuke explained.

"So if I'm understanding what you are getting at here, if I want to see my father again, I'm going to need to perform the jutsu the old fashioned way?" Karasu asked.

"Yes, you understand perfectly. You are quite the bright one." Sasuke said.

Karasu just rolled her eyes at the comment, it didn't take a genius to understand what Sasuke was saying.

"So how do I go about performing this jutsu?" Karasu asked.

"Well, that is where things get a little tricky. Given how long ago the jutsu was originally created, much of the records with that information have been lost in time. In order to perform the jutsu, you'll have to do the research on your own and solve that puzzle." Sasuke replied.

Karasu sighed "Just great, I have to figure all of this out on my own. Of course I have to do things the hard way, why would I be given any breaks after all that's just happened?" continuing her statement frustrated.

Sasuke placed his hand on her shoulder, "Have faith in yourself, Karasu. You're Don's daughter, after all. It's in your blood to adapt to the harshest of situations and weather the storm. Don did some of the most impossible work when he was younger and came out alright. I have faith in you."

Karasu and Sasuke stood up, by now it was time to return home for dinner. "Thank you for your information, Mr. Uchiha, but I really need to go."

"It was my pleasure, and one last thing." he said pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to her. On the paper had concentric circles with a design which much resembled the sharingan but in a much older fashion. "Take this. It's the only thing I could find regarding the subject in my family's secret vault. It's not much but I hope it will become of use to you later down the road."

"Thank you for this." Karasu said as she began to walk off, "And one more thing Mr. Uchiha..."

"Yes?" Sasuke replied.

"Please don't call me Don's daughter ever again. I don't want to be associated with that vile man." she replied and continued back home.

Sasuke let out a sigh and shook his head. "One day your anger will subside and you will find the truth Karasu. Until then, take care." he said quietly to himself while watching Karasu walk away.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"How's the food? Everything good?" Mei asked.

Karasu nodded, "Yes, it's good, thank you grandma."

Mei smiled weakly to the response. Her heart was in pain over Karasu's loss. Keeping her composure was difficult.

"Grandma?" Karasu asked to break their moment of silence.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Do you really want to know what happened with my parents and grandpa?" Karasu asked.

"Only if you are ready to speak about it." Mei answered back.

Karasu let out a deep breath and explained to Mei everything that happened. The result was Mei in tears.

"I had no idea, that all this time, Don had been putting on an act... no, that's wrong. He was trying to forget, he was trying to adapt, he was trying to atone." Mei said. "And the Don I met all those years ago... he's been dead this whole time."

Karasu shook her head "Yeah, the Don who originally was born in this world was found dead shortly after my father arrived here. His death still remains a mystery. It's confusing to think how things might have been different if the Don of this world would have been my father. I wonder if they were alike in any way?"

Mei smiled softly, "They were fairly alike in the sense that they both did what they felt was right and were very protective of their loved ones, however I feel idiotic having never noticed a key difference."

"What was that?" Karasu asked.

"The Don I first met during his diplomatic mission around the world was a confident man. He was energetic, charismatic, and despite his recent loss of his team mate, still seemed to be a light in the darkness for all to see. Your father, however, quite the opposite. Instead of a light, he seemed more like a shadow, his eyes, those of which have seen death and dismay, fear and lack of certainty. You would never know because you knew your father as a jovial goofball; most people did. I only caught a glimpse of his true nature once or twice. I can only imagine how hard it was to hide the truth from everyone for so long." Mei replied.

"Grandma Mei?" Karasu said timidly.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I know this is coming out of the blue, but for what it's worth, thanks for being a mother figure for my dad... I'm happy you became part of my family." she said smiling.

"It has always been an honor. I was quite shocked when Don asked me to be a part of his family. Not having a mother of his own, I can see his need for that parental balance in his life. The best part was getting to see Natsu more" she giggled, turning red and twirling her hair.

Karasu smiled in embarrassment knowing Mei once had fallen in love with her grandfather a long time ago.

"May I ask why you brought that up all of a sudden?" Mei asked.

"After relocating to Amegakure, I ran into my grandmother." she replied.

"I thought your mother was an orphan?" Mei asked.

"Yes she is, but that's not the grandmother I was referring to." she said in a distasteful tone.

Mei gasped, "You mean Natsu's wife? I thought she had been dead for years?"

"See, that's what I thought too, but it looks like dear old grandmother ran out on my dad and grandfather. She claims she was too much of a free spirit to be tied down with a child and was too fearful of being a bad parent." Karasu said clinching her fists.

"That's so disgraceful. A parent running out on their child like that." Mei said.

Karasu gave her a disgruntled face, "Yea, tell me about it." she replied.

Mei curled her lips knowing she was referring to her father. "Sorry..." she replied timidly.

The two finished eating and went their separate ways to go to bed.

Just before Karasu went to bed, she lay awake staring at the paper Sasuke had given her which contained the symbol for the infinite tsukuyomi. As she became more tired and her eyes became more heavy from string at the piece, she felt herself drift into a trance. She realized it was like she was staring into a sharingan eye. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

For a while, Karasu could tell she was standing in the middle of pitch black darkness. What she saw a few moments later, she would have never expected. In front of her was a young man with brown curly hair and brown eyes. He wore a black cloak with red clouds accenting the attire.

"Is that?" she thought to herself, then called out, "Dad!" but there was no response.

She chased after the young man as he headed toward a large shrine. "Hey, I'm talking to you, answer me!" she yelled, but again, there was no response.

The man finally stopped when he reached his destination. Karasu ran up to him to place her hand on his shoulder to yank him back to her attention. "Who do you think you are just ignoring me like that you jerk?!" she yelled, but when she went to place her hand on the man's shoulder, it slipped right thought him. She gasped in shock and her face went pale. She was frozen as the man walked off to the shrine.

"What is this? Am I a ghost? No... I have to be dreaming, but why does this feel so real?" she said to herself.

As the man approached the shrine's entrance, he stopped for a moment. Karasu took notice as the man reached into his cloak and pulled out a shimmering blue necklace. It was a sapphire raindrop with silver angel wings on the side. The necklace was glowing in an unusual fashion. The young man looked puzzled, and then tucked the necklace away, then entered the shrine.

"That was dad... he still has my necklace I gave him." thought to herself. She then followed her father into the shrine.

Karasu stood in the doorway of the shrine and watched as her father spoke to the priestess of the shrine. He was being quite rude to her and threatening her with violence. She was puzzled because this was not the Don she was raised by. Was this for real or just a dream?

The priestess sighed and opened up a hidden stairwell which resided below their feet. Karasu followed them down the steps. Don reached down to poke the priestess's butt, however was stopped when she caught him.

"Dad, you pig! How dare you try to touch another woman other than mom!" she screamed out.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and on a pedestal was a glass orb. The second Don grabbed it, the priestess held a knife to his throat. Their witty banter was childish but from what she deduced, her father and the priestess were once lovers.

"You're a traitor to the village and all of its allies. We trusted you and you betrayed us! I'll never forgive you, Don!" the woman shouted.

"Oh boo-hoo, Temari, your words hurt my feelings. You'll get over it. Besides, I really must be going. It was nice seeing you again, and just a helpful tip; next time you wear a disguise to fool me, wear something less revealing. I know your curves anywhere." Don replied winking at her and with a hand sign, a pillar of rock shot him to the surface, but not without causing rubble to fall from the ceiling to cave in Temari.

"He knows her curves that well?! When I get my hands on you, you cheating father, I'm going to kill you!" Karasu shouted.

Temari and Karasu pursued Don back to the surface overcoming the rubble which stood in their way. Temari opened her fan to its greatest extent and swung it as hard as she could towards the ground. Chunks of earth shot for Don with great speed. When Don turned around, he was hit by it all and by reaction, snapped his fingers, activating an explosion which shot Temari forward. Don caught her which made her blush a little but her expression quickly turned from fluster to anger. Before she could react, Don was struck down by her teammate Hinata.

Karasu watched as her father was brutally beaten down by Temari, Hinata, and their additional team member, Neji. Don's body was finally knocked into the river they were fighting by and was left in utter shock as she watched her father's lifeless body go over the waterfall that was a few hundred feet away from where they were.

"Dad, no!" she cried out running toward him, however before she could reach her father, she woke up.

She heard Mei talking to someone at the front door. She could somewhat understand what she was saying.

"Karasu's not here, I haven't seen her in years, but you're more than welcome to take a look around." Mei said.

Karasu immediately knew what was going on. The anbu had tracked her here and if she were discovered, she'd be killed. She grabbed her travel bag, quickly shoved her clothes inside it and escaped through the window. A few seconds later, the anbu entered her bedroom and looked around. They noticed the window was open and peered outside of it to see if Karasu was anywhere to be found but didn't see her. It was obvious the room had recently been occupied, by whom, they didn't know.

"So, Lady Mei, who was it that stayed over last night?" the anbu agent asked.

Mei realized that Karasu had escaped, she had to come up with a story to keep the anbu off her trail. "I had a friend over last night. We talked until the late hours of the night, so I let them stay here as a courtesy. They left early this morning before I awoke. I opened the window in there to let some fresh air in before I clean it. I'm sure you saw how messy it was in there."

The anbu looked over at the eating table and saw two plates out, "If your guest is gone, then how come you have two plates set at the table?"

Mei was caught off guard for a moment but then calmly replied, "I'm having breakfast with one of my old subordinates. I'll be expecting them in a while, so if you would excuse me, I really do need to get back to preparing breakfast."

"We have nothing more to do here, so we will go. Sorry to have disturbed you." the anbu said and left with his companions.

"Sir, do you really believe her story?" one of the anbu agents asked her leader.

"Not one bit, Karasu was there last night, I'm sure of it, but without solid evidence, we can't do anything about it. Karasu couldn't have gotten far so we need to fan out and search for her. Also send word back to base that we need someone to stake out Lady Mei's house in case Karasu ever returns." the leader replied.

Karasu had transformed herself to look like a different person and was just boarding the first boat out of the country. She was troubled that she didn't have time to rest like she has hoped, but she figured she'd either rest when she was safely with her father again or dead. As she lay in her bunk, she began to think about where her next destination was going to be. For now, it was obvious she could never return to Mei's house.

She remembered learning about the war at the academy and how devastating it was, however it did manage to bring the five great shinobi nations together and form a strong bond which produced many years of peace. The most important event to her from that war was the use of the infinite tsukuyomi. The man behind it all was Madara Uchiha. It was decided that she would visit the old remains of his hideout with the slight chance she might find some clues or information about how the infinite tsukuyomi works.

The next day, the boat arrived to the mainland and everyone disembarked. Karasu still remained in her disguise in the event there were anbu in the area looking for her. She headed north to where Madara's base of operations used to be; looking at her map, she estimated it would only take her a few days.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, an anbu captain stood before his subordinate.

"What news do we have about our escaped criminal?" he asked.

"Sir, we believe that Karasu was recently in Kirigakure visiting her grandmother, we are sorry to report that she eluded our grasp, right now, we are searching for clues as to where she may be going to next." the subordinate replied.

The captain smashed his fist into the wall, "Damn it! How incompetent can these agents be? What does it take to capture a little girl?!"

"With all due respect captain, this girl is the hokage's granddaughter, who was an anbu in his prime. No doubt he passed his teachings to his son, who in turn, passed it down to his daughter. She's staying one step ahead of us because she knows our tactics." the subordinate replied.

The captain remained silent for a few moments. He was riddled with anger how a sixteen year old girl was eluding highly trained agents.

"I just want her captured immediately. Her story concerns me. Dream world... man in a mask. I haven't heard talk like this since the war. Not since..." the captain began.

"The infinite tsukuyomi." a deep voice called out. "Forgive me, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

"Sasuke Uchiha, well, this is quite the surprise. What business do you have here with us at this time?" Captain Shirou replied.

"The girl you mentioned, Karasu, the story she told, it's very much in line with that of the infinite tsukuyomi, therefore it has now become my business." Sasuke said.

"What information do you have for us?" Captain Shirou asked.

"For starters, I know she is looking to recreate the infinite tsukuyomi for her own personal gain. I fear what will happen if she succeeds." he replied.

"Are you serious? She going to replicate that forsaken technique? Sasuke, how do you know this?" the captain asked.

"Simple really, because she told me." Sasuke replied.

"And you didn't strike her down right there?! Explain yourself!" Shirou shouted.

Sasuke turned away slightly and his face turned a light red, "She caught me off guard with a harem jutsu, comprised of nothing but my wife. In the split second of my vulnerability, she escaped..."

The room fell silent to the confession. Sasuke cleared his throat to cease the awkwardness.

"However, just because she escaped doesn't mean she will remain elusive for long." he said.

"Oh really, and why is that? She's evaded all of our agents thus far. What makes you so confident you'll be able to find her again?"

Sasuke smirked, "Because I know exactly where she's going to be."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In the distance, Karasu could see the mountains graveyard; somewhere here was Madara's secret hideout. As she got closer, she was shocked to see the massive creatures which resided in the forest. She became concerned because, not only would she have to look for the hideout, but watch out for these creatures which could easily kill her if she wasn't careful.

As she proceeded deeper into the forest of the graveyard, she began to pick up on a strange sensation. The sensation grew stronger and stronger the further she went in. It felt like something was calling to her, beckoning her to find it. It felt powerful, but something was amiss about it and she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

Karasu stopped for a moment to take a break since she had been vigorously searching for the hideout. She heard a growl come from behind her and as she turned around. She saw a gigantic monster lunging for her. As she went to react and dodge, she lost her footing, slipping on the branch, and fell downward just barely avoiding the monster's attack. She blacked out while plummeting to the ground. Her body fell into a hole in the ground, just large enough for a person to fit and splashed down into an underground pond. There, she floated for a few hours unconscious and ignorant of where she was. Her dream picked up where it had left off.

"Tsunade's going to be mad that Don got his hands on the orb." Hinata said.

"It doesn't matter, the primary objective was the kill Don. No one is going to find Don's body, and I'm sure Lady Tsunade will agree it's better to have the orb lost than to be in the hands of the enemy." Neji replied.

"That orb... what use could Don even have for it?" Temari asked.

"Who knows, though rumors have it that orbs like those grant the ability to peer into other worlds, and under certain situations, banish people to said worlds." Neji replied.

"It's as you said, Neji, the orb and Don are best lost to the world." Hinata said with the more bitter face and walked off.

"Aunt Hinata... I don't understand, what happened. You'd never speak of Don this way." Karasu said puzzled.

Neji left to catch up with Hinata but Temari stayed behind saying she was going to change clothes and then report back home to Gaara about the mission, though she had the most suspicious look in her eyes. In an instant, she zoomed off in the direction of the waterfall. Karasu followed. After some time following her down stream, they came across Don's body, just barely staying afloat.

Temari rescued him and brought him ashore. She gave him CPR until he began breathing again, and then took the orb from his possession. She held him close and pressed her lips against his briefly.

Karasu stood behind a tree in curiosity, "Just a moment ago, she was out for his life, but now she's holding him like her lover. Just what kind of person is this Temari, and just what kind of relationship did she have with dad anyway?"

She overheard Temari's interrogation of Don. Temari's eyes filled with tears; confusion and sadness in her tone. Don wasn't able to give her any answers, but one thing did make her freeze in astonishment.

"Temari, please give me back the orb. I know you have it." Don said.

"No, you can't have it, not unless you answer my questions." Temari replied.

"You know I can't, I've already told you." Don replied in a slightly irritated tone.

"Then at least tell me what the hell you were doing with this orb? Why did you need it so badly?" Temari barked.

"Because... it's going to help me repent for something I did." Don replied.

"What do you mean?" Temari asked.

"That orb has the power to send people to alternate realities. It's a rare artifact that have strong genjutsu like properties. There's a place I need to go to, there's someone I want to bring back with me." Don replied weakly.

"Who is this person?" Temari said.

"Someone very important to me." Don replied taking his necklace out from underneath his shirt.

Temari gazed in aw at how beautiful the necklace was; a shimmering blue sapphire raindrop with angel wings on either side.

"That's my necklace! Wait, he's talking about me! He was trying to bring me to his world? But why?" Karasu exclaimed.

Temari's look turned into a bitter glare. "What's her name?" she asked in a suspecting tone.

"Don't give me that tone. It's not like that. Her name is Karasu, and I hurt her very bad. It's a story for another day, but I did spend a little time banished in an alternate reality. There I met Karasu, over time, we became very close, like family, but in the end, I just wound up destroying her life..." Don replied in shame.

Temari slapped him across the face, "You're such an asshole! You can't get enough of a high ruining people's lives here, so you go to another reality and ruin people's lives there too! You're worse than scum, Don, you know that?!"

Don nodded, "I know that. It's a burden I have to carry with me until I'm able to repent and fix what I have done."

Temari's tone became more angered and energetic, "Oh really, because everyone here wants you dead! They think you're dead! How do you know this Karasu girl, doesn't feel the same way for whatever you did to her?!"

"Because, I know deep down inside, she still loves me." Don replied closing his eyes and losing consciousness, the fight and near death experience having drained him.

Karasu watched as Temari tried to wake Don up to no avail and wound up carrying him back to the shrine so he could rest. Karasu sat next to Temari on the porch of the shrine and watched the rain fall. The whole time, she just reflected on Don's words, she also suspected Temari was doing the same. The two of them trying to grasp the whole situation they were in because of Don. Karasu became conflicted over what Don had said. There Temari accused her of wanting to see Don dead, although true on her end, Don rejected the notion having faith that their love for each other would outlast the damage he caused. Childish at best, but to see such blind faith in her, it was just unreal. On top of that, Don wanted to bring her to his world so desperately even at the cot of his life.

Karasu turned and looked at Temari who was still staring deeply into the distance. "So this is the man my dad really is, huh? And you're the woman who fell for him..."

Temari's trance was interrupted when a bear cub came to nudge her side. Temari picked up up, placed him in her lap, and began to pet him.

"Bernatello!" Karasu said happily seeing her dad's partner again.

Bernatello stared at Karasu as if he knew she was there. Karasu picked up on this, and tilted her head in curiosity.

"Can you see me Bernatello?" she asked.

The bear replied by nodding slightly.

Karasu's eyes widened, but before she could react any further, her dream ended. When she awoke, she was lying on a sleeping bag next to a fire. Sitting next to her was a young boy who seemed to be her age roasting some food on the fire. The boy had pitch black hair and black eyes. He was lean and fairly muscular.

"Who are you?" she asked not knowing what was going to happen to her.

"Nice to see you are awake, I'm Minori." the boy replied.

"Where am I?" she asked still hazy from just waking up.

"You're in a cavern buried deep under the mountains graveyard. From the looks of it, you feel through that tiny opening up there. You got lucky that you fell in the water over there or you would have died." Minori said.

"Thanks." she replied sitting up and warming up to the fire. She looked up at him perplexed. "Do you live here?"

"Yep." he replied.

"For how long?" she asked.

"All my life." Minori replied.

"Who takes care of you?" Karasu asked.

"Myself." Minori said.

"Geez, Minori is very dry." Karasu thought to herself.

"So tell me, why should I not kill you?" Minori asked.

"Excuse me?!" Karasu exclaimed jumping up preparing to defend herself.

Minori casually held a knife in his hand. "Well, as I pulled you to shore, I noticed you were a leaf ninja, and I asked myself 'what's a little birdie like this doing so far away from home?'. The more I thought about it, the more I became suspicious that you're an assassin here to kill me, but I'm a fair man, I don't kill just anyone without a verified reason. So what is it, little birdie?"

"I'm here to find something." Karasu said.

"You're going to need to be more specific than that, little birdie, find what exactly?" Minori replied.

"I don't know. I'd know when I see it, and stop calling me little birdie!" she replied.

"Again, I need something more specific. How do I know you are looking for someone, and that someone is me? And the name is staying, so get over it." Minori said.

"How do I know I can trust you with what I'm about to say?" Karasu asked glaring at Minori.

"I saved your life, and I made some food for you. If I had wanted to harm you, I would have done it by now." he replied smirking.

Karasu didn't want to divulge the reason why she was here, but given the circumstances, it was the truth for her life.

"I'm looking for information concerning the Uchiha and the infinite tsukuyomi. The mountains graveyard was one of the places I was told I could go to investigate." Karasu said.

"Well, you certainly are in the right place..." Minori began.

"I am?" Karasu said, her eyes lighting up.

"This is the mountains graveyard." Minori continued.

Karasu grew angry at his smart-ass remark and rolled her eyes.

Minori put his knife away and beckoned her to him. "Come on, lets eat and I'll show you around. There's a place I think might help you."

Karasu cautiously sat next to him and ate with him.

When they finished, Minori led her deeper into the cavern until they reached a giant room.

"This the is the place I mentioned earlier. They say this is where Madara Uchiha hid away from the rest of the world for generations until he executed his plans to start a war. Fortunately for the rest of the world, he was put down quickly before any real damage could be done. He left behind a lot of things, mainly documents ranging from battle plans, to memoirs, and other bits of information." Minori said.

"Anything mentioning genjutsu or the infinite tsukuyomi?" Karasu asked.

"I think so. It's been a while since I read over his things, but I do believe he mentioned it somewhere. It's the dream world stuff, correct?" Minori asked.

"Yeah." Karasu replied.

"Yeah, if memory serves, it should be somewhere with those things over there." he said pointing to the back right corner of the room. There were piles of scrolls and books disorganized and scattered about.

Karasu let out a sigh, "I best get looking."

"Want me to help?" Minori asked.

"You don't have to." she replied.

"I've got nothing better to do." Minori said.

The next couple of hours were spent scanning through the scrolls and books for anything pertaining to the infinite tsukuyomi. Everything that had been reviewed thus far was about Madara himself, his clan, and the events leading up to the founding of the leaf village.

"I think I found it!" Karasu shouted.

Minori came rushing over. "Let's see?"

Karasu read the beginning passage from the scroll she held. "I will send this world into a dream. I will combat their pain and bring about a new reality where there is no more struggle, where there is no more loss. After much research, I have discovered how my clan once performed this act. Through much practice, I have learned their ways and not only perfected it, but have learned to incorporate it with my own eyes. What lies ahead in this scroll is what I have discovered."

Just then, Minori pulled out his knife and blocked five shuriken that were thrown his way. The metal clangs startles Karasu and she turned to face him. "We have company." Minori said.

Soon after, Minori and Karasu were surrounded by four anbu.

"Well, well, well, look at what we have here. If it isn't Karasu, and look, she's got herself a boyfriend. Tch. I hope you realize by now they'll take you dead or alive as well as anyone you're found with. Personally, I prefer to bring people in dead." The anbu captain said.

"How did you guys track me here?" Karasu asked.

"We have our ways." the captain replied. "Kill them." He said giving the signal and his squad-mates began their attack.

Minori's eyes turned a blood red, and took a defensive stance. "I can't let you do that." he said producing flame from his breath, sweeping it across the room at their attackers.

"This guy's an Uchiha?! It can't be... men, focus on the Karasu's companion! Karasu is mine!" the captain ordered.

Karasu fought the captain while Minori fought the other three anbu. As Karasu was fighting, the scroll she was holding got knocked out her hand and rolled near some flames and caught fire.

"No! We can't afford to lose that!" she screamed.

Minori looked over and realized they needed to withdraw, by the time they put the anbu down, the information Karasu's after would be burnt to ashes.

"Snuff out." he muttered to himself and smoke filled the room. Everyone began to cough, including Karasu.

Karasu felt someone pick her up and carry her in their arms. She squirmed and coughed trying to break free. In a few moments, she was out of the cavern and back in the thick forest to see Minori holding her with the scroll in his hand.

"Mind taking the scroll?" he asked.

"Mind putting me down?" she barked.

"I do, there's no telling how soon they'll be on our tail and trust me, you wouldn't be able to keep up with me if I wasn't holding you." Minori said.

Karasu looked down at his hand which looked black from the smoke and the scroll which he held. "Oh great, the scroll got burnt to a crisp."

"Open it and see what survived, we may have lucked out and enough of the information survived." Minori said.

Karasu took the scroll from his hand and opened it up. Everything except the first two of sections was burnt beyond legibility. The beginning of the second section was a table of contents. It just listed some names of places and which section they belonged to, all of which were now incinerated.

"Anything?" Minori asked.

"We lost everything except for Madara's intro and table of contents." she replied.

"What's the table of contents say?" Minori asked.

"It just lists some names of places and which section they're in." Karasu replied.

"Well, it looks like we know where we need to go to next. What name is first on the list?" Minori asked.

"Getsugakure, the land hidden under the moon." she replied.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Karasu sat on the balcony of a small apartment overlooking the ocean. The warm ocean breeze gently brushed against her body. Her face was pale and bags had formed under her eyes. She smiled softly at her journal as she wrote, occasionally looking out to the horizon.

 _It's been five months since I arrived here in Getsugakure, and four months since Minori_

 _left. Ever since we arrived here, my nightmares grew worse. I guess after a month's worth of sleepless nights and frustration, Minori had enough of me. I don't blame him. He has nothing to gain from helping me. I almost pity him, but I don't know him all that well so he hasn't earned the privilege of my pity. I can't let nightmares stop me from finding the information I need. It's just troubling because I see the same thing over and over again, night after night. I see the day my father killed my mother and grandfather in cold blood. I see their faces, I see his face. No life resides in any of them._

 _I've been fortunate that Getsugakure is so far off Konoha's radar, that I've been able to seek sanctuary here. I don't have much but everyday proves to be fruitful. I've been practically living in their library and reading up on as much as I can pertaining to the moon. The people here seem to be more attuned to it than the rest of the world. Some of the books I've read, mention how the moon granted them power to used in everyday life like medicine and spiritual cleansing. At least, that is what I could understand. The style of writing is very complicated and old._

Karasu made herself some breakfast and went to the library to search for more information. Hours went by and she stumbled upon something which changed everything. To afraid to speak the words aloud, she reviewed the information mentally.

"It says here that the moon granted the people great power, much of which was used for good, however all power has a darker side. When severe punishment was to be passed, they used the moon to induce mental insanity. It caused such convincing hallucinations that if the victims didn't drop dead of cardiac arrest, they would take their own lives." She covered her mouth in shock with eyes wide open. "There were ancient temples dedicated to each of the gifts the moon provided the people of Getsugakure. Just as a temple was dedicated to rejuvenation and healing, so was there for this power to pass what they considered judgment. From what the text describes, the temples are were the focal points of those gifts, therefore had the greatest concentration of that particular lunar power there."

She flipped through the book until she found what looked to be a map showing the locations of each temple. Each temple had its own unique symbol. The temple of judgment's symbol looked similar to a sharingan eye. From what it looked like, the temple's location was the closest to her apartment. She began to wonder if her reoccurring nightmares had something to do with it. It was just a gut feeling guess, with no evidence to support it. She carefully tore the map from the book and left to find the temple.

The forest was thick, if there was a temple somewhere, it was going to be near impossible to find. Hours went by and Karasu stumbled through the tropical forest. Vines, weeds, roots, and a whole assortment of plant life hindered her mobility and vision. Hours passed and the temple was nowhere to be found.

"Son of a... where is this temple?!" she exclaimed in frustration.

She was tired of searching and frustrated because she wanted to be done with this. She wanted her answers and she wanted to confront her father again.

"Maybe I'll see something from the sky?" she thought to herself. She formed paper wings and fluttered to the top of the canopy. She scanned the area for any signs of the temple or a temple for that matter. Nothing.

The sun was going down and by nightfall, she wouldn't be able to see anything. Time was running out. Then then had a strange thought. She thought about it for a bit and decided it wouldn't hurt to put it to the test. More hours went by and night was upon her. She gazed up at the sky and saw the moon overhead. It's light hazily filling the night sky and the landscape down below. Karasu looked out and saw beams of light shooting down into specific parts of the islands tropical forest. About a hundred meters away was one of those beams.

"So my hunch paid off. Their locations can be found at night." she said to herself smirking. She glided off into the distance to where the moon beam was directing her to.

When she landed she froze before the sheer size of the temple. The columns on either side bore the mark which matched the one in her map. This was the right place. As she stepped forward, her head became hazy. It was as though a force was compelling her to pass out. She fought it and continued into the temple to look for clues.

Karasu lit a torch and explored the inner sanctum. Upon the alter were scrolls which had been abandoned for many years. She carefully opened one up and recognized some of the scripts and words. Some of the symbols also looked familiar and it seemed she was lucky and found the exact scroll he needed.

All of a sudden, she lost her breath and began to pant frantically. It was that feeling again. Her mind growing more hazy, her vision beginning to blur. She tried to fight it but failed. She fell to the ground and rolled on her back. Looking up at the ceiling, she could barely make out an opening which revealed a full moon overhead.

"Shhh. Calm yourself Karasu. Everything is going to be ok." a familiar voice said to her.

"You, it can't be!" Karasu exclaimed.

"Karasu, you're too worked up, you're going to suffocate." her father replied calmly. Don appeared kneeling down next her placing his hand on her shoulder.

"This can't be. How can you be here?" she asked.

"I've always been here, Karasu." Don said stroking her hair gently.

"Why did you come back?" she asked.

"Because I have some unfinished business." Don said.

"What do you mean?" Karasu asked.

"Killing you!" He said devilishly and he wrapped his hands around her throat beginning to choke her.

"D...dad. Stop!" she said brokenly as the air was being cut off from her lungs. "Wait. This can't be. This isn't real. It feels so real though. I have to fight it!" she thought to herself.

She quickly made a hand sign, formed her wings and blew her father off of her. "You aren't real!"

"Oh, I'm very much real Karasu. I can no longer allow you to live any longer." Don said.

"Come and get me, old man! Killing you will make me feel better after you murdered Mom and Grampa." Karasu said taking a defensive stance.

Don disappeared into the shadows and reappeared right behind her. Karasu felt a sharp pain piercing her back. She knelt with Don holding a blooded knife in his hand. Blood trickled from her mouth.

"Sir, shall we engage?" an anbu agent asked.

"Hold your position. Whatever is happening to her now, it's killing her." the anbu captain said.

"What exactly is killing her?" the agent asked.

"You mean to tell me you haven't felt it in the air yet? This place wreaks of genjutsu, a horrible nasty kind. One like I've never felt before." the captain replied.

"I have been feeling a bit strange, sir. That would explain a lot." the anbu replied.

"It can't end like this..." Karasu thought to herself. "I've only just begun. I... I have to see my real father again. I have to make him pay for what he did!"

With a cry of anger, Karasu's body began to glow green. Her family's bloodline possessed the ability to access green chakra which had an assortment of unique properties. One of which was gaining power from the moon.

"You aren't real! I will not be stopped by some cheap trick and I will destroy anyone and anything that stand in my way!" Karasu screamed.

The green chakra surged through the cracks in the stone. The whole temple was now lit green. A tree sprung from the ground just a few feet from Karasu and the projection of her father.

"Now die!" she screamed and the leaves blew off the tree and became gold. She directed them at her father. He became engulfed in a bright light and vanished.

"I don't believe it. Whatever she was fighting is now gone. Quickly before she regains a sense of reality!" the anbu captain said.

Karasu shook her head and as she reached for the scroll to put it in her back, she was attacked by the multiple anbu agents sent to kill her.

"No way, how did you guys find me here?" she asked.

There was a stone cold silence among them. The anbu captain made a signal and the agents attacked her. Karasu slipped into the shadows only to be cut off before she could escape.

"You aren't going anywhere this time. Your life is over." the anbu said.

Karasu's anger began to swell even more now. Her body again engulfed in green chakra. "No, it's your life that's over..." she said in a dark tone.

She made a hand sign, expelling her chakra throughout the temple. The air became thicker and hazy. The anbu began to act insane.

"What's happening?!" the anbu in front of Karasu asked. He began to hallucinate that demons now inhabited the temple. His mind had been lost to the genjutsu of temple.

As Karasu walked out of the temple, the anbu agents were slaughtering each other thinking they were seeing demons attacking them.

Day later, word reached Konoha that the anbu agents were brutally murdered. Sasuke and the anbu lead captain were infuriated by this news.

"There is no way she could have taken out my best men. I don't understand!" the lead captain shouted.

"Now, now, captain. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation as to why your men failed." Sasuke said.

"You seem to be awfully calm about this situation. Do you realize what kind of power she is about to unleash?" the captain barked back.

"I do, however try to look at the bigger picture here. Right now, she's on the move and there's only so many placed she could be. Given her track record of luck right now, we won't be able to stop her until she has everything she needs." Sasuke said.

"What are you trying to say, just leave her uncontested and complete her mission? No! She'll kill us all." the captain said.

"That's only half true. What I'm merely saying is let he gather everything she needs so when she's ready to perform the jutsu, she will be in one place and easier to take down. Doing that jutsu the old fashioned way take a lot of preparation and she will be most vulnerable then." Sasuke said.

The captain grunted "I don't like it one bit but you make a very valid point. We'll keep close tabs on her and when the time is right, we will end her life."

Karasu fled the moon kingdom and did stop until she found herself in the land of bears, near where Hoshigakure was located. As she entered the village she looked around for a place to stay. She found an inn and booked a room. When she entered her room, she saw a letter sitting on the bed addressed to her.

When she picked it up, it only had one sentence.

"Meet me in Uzushiogakure in three days. - Sasuke U."

Three days later, Karasu met up with Sasuke. The desolate area was a depressing sight. To think that not even a hundred years ago, this place used to be a civilization. All that was left were ruins and rubble. No one to be found. It was empty. This was probably one of the best places to meet since no one would ever think to search for a wanted criminal in a place like this.

"Karasu it's nice to see you made it." Sasuke said relieved

"Let's get down to business. I don't have the luxury of time. I've had some really bad people on my tail sine I left the village." Karasu said bluntly.

"Now, now, Karasu, the anbu aren't all bad people. They are just doing their jobs." he replied.

Karasu looked shocked. "How did you know?"

"I have friends among the corps and they keep on complaining about a young girl who keeps outwitting them. You've caused quite the stir among the anbu. I know they are desperately trying to find you. I don't want them to because they have orders to kill you, no questions asked. I want you to see your father again." Sasuke said.

"Everywhere I go, they keep fining me. It's only a matter of time before they catch me and kill me. What place could possibly be safe for me?" Karasu exclaimed.

"Right under their noses." Sasuke said.

"I'm not moving back to Konoha, that's the worst place!" Karasu said.

"In a matter of speaking. You won't be going to Konoha. There's a place I know of that might be of use to you. It's in the land of dreams; on the border of the land of fire. You'll be close enough to where you'll be under the radar. I'll personally escort you there. However, as a necessary precaution, you will need to take on a new identity." Sasuke said.

"Strange, that was where I was going to anyway. I guess great minds think alike." Karasu thought to herself. When she heard she had to change her identity, she looked at Sasuke curiously, "What do you mean new identity?"

Sasuke held out a small bag of things to her, "Inside is everything you'll need, and you'll want to grow out your hair too."

Karasu looked in the bag to find a container of silver hair dye and blue contacts. "Do I really have to do this? I like the hair I inherited from my mom."

"I know you do, it's only temporary. However, that's the exact reason why you need to dye it. You're too recognizable because you look exactly like your mom." Sasuke replied. "So, go on and get ready. I'll be waiting and we can be on our way."

When Karasu was finished, she stepped out from behind one of the buildings looking almost completely different.

"Well now, I barely recognize you. I doubt anyone else will be able to either." Sasuke said pleased.

After a week of nonstop traveling, Sasuke and Karasu reached the land of dreams. There Karasu planned on studying the effects of dreams in Yumegakure. Hopefully here, she would have the peace she desired to figure out a way to see her father again.

"Just beyond that clearing is Yumegakure. Before we part ways, have you thought of a new name for yourself?" Sasuke asked.

She nodded. "I think I'll keep it simple. I'll go by Kara."

"Very well then, Kara. I wish you the best of luck." Sasuke said waving goodbye and leaving.

Karasu departed ways with Sasuke and entered the village. At first she caught some weird glances. A complete stranger in a small village would draw attention. She explored the village some before she finally left for the outskirts. She decided to live just outside the village in the forest so she could be alone and do as she pleased without drawing attention. She used her wood element jutsu to create herself a fully functioning home. It wasn't too big but just enough to accommodate her. She placed it by a stream which was located some distance away from Yumegakure. She bought supplies and then rested for the remainder of the day.

That night, she began to dream of her father again.

It was pouring rain from the blackened skies above. Karasu stood before the entrance to Amegakure and up ahead, she could barely make out the person, but it looked like her father. He was walking into the village at a slow pace as if he carried a huge weight on his shoulders. Karasu decided to pursue the person. When she got close enough, she identified the person as her father.

The rain soaked Don's body. His clothes drenched and his hair sagging over his face. In his hands, he carried a bouquet of flowers. He followed an all too familiar path until he came to an all too familiar grave. The headstone read "Konan, a loving woman who left behind the sole remainder of her heart." Don knelt down, placing the flowers on her grave. Karasu standing next to him as this all unfolded.

"Hey Konan. Sorry it's been a while since I last visited. Of all days, I choose to visit you on the anniversary of your death. Please don't think I've stopped caring. There's a lot going on right now and let's just say work is keeping me busy... Please forgive me." Don said.

Karasu looked over at her mother's grave. Don did say Konan had died years ago and their love was never able to fully blossom. Here, she nor her mother existed.

"I miss you so much Konan..." Don sobbed.

Konan looked over at Don's back as a mysterious light began to illuminate behind him. Her eyes widened as she couldn't believe what she saw. Her mother materialized behind her father, kneeling down behind him with her arms wrapped around him in a warm embrace.

"M...mom?" Karasu said on instinct, unable to contain the sight of her mother.

Konan looked up and over to Karasu and just smiled. She walked over to the front of Don and leaned into him for a kiss. She stroked his hair gently for a few seconds before standing back up to approach Karasu.

"So you are me and Don's daughter?" Konan asked calmly.

"Y... Yes. I am." Karasu replied nervously unable to think of what to say to the ghost of her mother.

Konan embraced Karasu and smiled with tears in her eyes. "Karasu, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know that somewhere in reality, you exist."

Konan fell to pieces and hugged her mother back. "I'm so happy to see you again. I've missed you greatly. But how did you know my name?"

"Your father has told me all about you. When he first came back from his dream world, he was here almost the very next day to tell me about all that had happened during his twenty years there." Konan replied.

"He did that?" Konan asked very shocked.

"He did. He was a bundle of emotions that day. He was happy, but distraught. He was pained the had to leave you behind the way he did, but when he spoke about you, he spoke with pride. As prideful as a parent could ever be." Konan replied.

"I may have forgiven him, mom, but I still want to make him pay for what he did. He destroyed my life and now I'm paying for his sins!" Karasu exclaimed.

Konan looked over at Don, "Karasu, tell me, who do you see there?"

"I see the bastard I'm going to kill if I ever get my hands on him!" Karasu replied.

Konan placed her hand on Karasu's shoulder, "Take a closer look."

Karasu stood behind her mother's tombstone and observed her father. She just stared at her father who knelt in front of her mother's grave clutching the necklace she had given him before he returned home.

"Tell me, who do you see there?" Konan asked.

Konan looked to her mother displeased. "I see a pitiful excuse for a father."

As she said these words, her dream ended, and she woke with tears in her eyes. She wiped them from her face and bitterly mumbled, "Pitiful excuse for a father, tch."

Karasu ate her breakfast, got dressed and headed into the town to see if there was any place where she could research what the village knew about dreams. As she looked around at building to building, she was abruptly called out to by an older woman.

"You, yes you with the blue eyes and the silver hair that shines like the moon, come here!"

Karasu turn and saw the old woman beckoning her over to her so she approached her.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" Karasu asked.

"The real question is what can I do for you?" she old woman replied.

"I'm in a bit of a hurry, so please get to the point." Karasu replied as politely as possible.

"I can tell by your looks that you are deeply troubled by your dreams. I'd bet a mountain of gold that you've lost sleep many of nights because of it. Probably driven away some people you care about, haven't you?" the old woman proclaimed.

"Even if that were true, how would I be sure that you aren't bluffing?" Karasu replied.

"Call me a woman who has extensive knowledge of the dream world. It is a realm which we mortals have the ability to visit, but only for a limited time while we sleep. It serves many purposes and stands to grant us great benefits if we are willing to learn how to properly connect to it." the old woman replied.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Karasu stood alone in the middle of heavy rain. Her head tilted toward the sky and her eyes closed. Her focus on her surroundings.

"Focus your mind Kara. Breathe." The old woman said. "What to you feel?"

"Rain. It's the same rain, every time. Pouring heavily from the sky. It soaks me to the bone. I can't escape it. Every time I see lightning, a part of my past flashes before my eyes, and when I hear the thunder, I feel it rattle my whole body." Karasu replied.

"These visions, what are they of?" the old woman asked.

"I see myself with my mom and dad. How things used to be, but aren't anymore." Karasu replied.

"I see. This is very interesting indeed." the old woman said.

"What do you mean?" Karasu asked.

"It is a literal translation that inside you resides a storm. So much conflict, chaos, and pain. It clearly involves your family, and whatever happened between you and your family, its echos shake the very foundation of your soul. You have my condolences young lady." the old lady said.

"So what do I do?" Karasu asked.

"Time heals all wounds, my dear, but I will say this. Given your current situation, being able to control your dreams and transcend past them will prove very difficult. I can show you what I know, but it is up to you to clear the path for yourself in order to succeed." the old woman said.

"I really want to learn this, but why are you helping me? I'm a complete stranger to you." Karasu asked.

"You remind me of a young man I once knew. He once came seeking my help. He too had a storm raging inside of him. All he wanted to do was return home. I guess you could say, I have great sympathy for people like that." the old woman said with a slightly sad expression on her face.

Karasu opened her eyes and cleared her hazy head from her trance. She bowed to the old woman, "Thank you for your time and assistance. I'm going home now. I'll see you soon, ok?"

"You are welcome back any time, Karasu." the old woman replied.

Karasu returned to her makeshift home and felt asleep rather quickly. Then she began to dream of her father once more.

It was dark and two young men sat around a campfire in the middle of the woods. Their names were Sasuke and Don. Both looked at each other seriously as the conversed about their current topic.

"So how much do you know about the infinite tsukuyomi?" Don asked.

"I only know it was an extremely powerful jutsu used during the war. It was a horrible thing, it nearly consumed everyone. Why are you so interested in it?" Sasuke replied.

"I need to better understand it so I can perform it." Don bluntly said.

Sasuke stood up and reached for his sword. "I'd kill you before I'd let you even try."

Don beckoned his old friend to calm himself and sit down. "It's not like that Sasuke, I'm not looking to throw the world into chaos. There's just something I need to do using that as a means to an end."

Sasuke sat back down releasing his grip from his sword. "And what end would that be?"

"I want to bring someone back with me." Don replied knowing full and well his answer sounded ridiculous.

Sasuke's eyes widened "Do you hear yourself? How ridiculous you sound? The infinite tsukuyomi is a genjutsu, nothing in it is real. It's impossible to bring anyone or anything back from a make believe world."

Don looked down in sadness and clinched his fist. "You're wrong." he replied taking out his necklace from under his shirt.

Sasuke looked at Don curiously. "What is that?"

"What I'm about to tell you, you must keep between us. The only other person who knows this is Tsunade. This necklace you see here, it came from the infinite tsukuyomi." Don replied.

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. "You're lying to me. How is that possible?"

Don smiled slightly, "I don't know how it's possible, but I'm not lying to you. I never would."

"How did you obtain it?" Sasuke asked.

There was a brief pause before Don answered knowing how Sasuke would react, especially knowing he'd now have to tell his story. "My daughter gave it to me."

"You're daughter? Don, what happened to you?" Sasuke asked.

Don sighed, "To try and make a long story short, I was approached by a ghost of Obito Uchiha who was so kind as to send me into the infinite tsukuyomi. It was all part of some kind of test, I haven't figured out what for to this day. I fell in love with my dream world so much that I didn't want to leave, despite being offered a way back home shortly after my arrival. Twenty years passed and during that time, I settled down with my first love, Konan, whom you remember from long ago, and we had a daughter named Karasu. She inherited this necklace from her mother, who in turn gave it to me when I finally decided to return home, as a memento to what had happened during my time there."

"That's quite the incredible story, Don. But tell me, how was it possible that you stayed there for twenty years and yet be sitting here in front of me having not aged a day?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know. All I know is, it's not like I was a lifeless body the whole time while I was in the infinite tsukuyomi. My mind, body, and spirit was somehow all sent there at once. Somehow, when I decided to break free from it, it returned me to my original state in this world. Thinking about it now after all this time, I guess it held true to a dream world, I was just dreaming for twenty years there, but no time had passed here, if that makes sense." Don replied.

"It does, but what if you had stayed there until you died?" Sasuke asked.

"Simple. According to Obito, I would have vanished from existence entirely." Don replied.

"That's a bit harsh." Sasuke said.

"Yep." Don replied.

There was a few moments of silence between the two friend and then Don finally spoke up.

"Oh, and Sasuke? Don't tell anyone you had this conversation with me. People still think I'm dead and I need it to stay that way." Don said.

"I understand." Sasuke replied.

"I may not know all too much about the infinite tsukuyomi, however there is a place hidden away that is sacred to my clan that holds many secrets. I've only been there once, but I believe it may hold the information you seek." Sasuke said.

"Where's it at?" Don asked.

As Sasuke spoke, his words became muted and Karasu was unable to hear them. When Sasuke finished speaking she woke up.

Karasu looked around her room. The morning light just barely pierced through the window. She began to wonder where this place was that Sasuke was talking about. The more she thought about it, the more she became curious. If there was such a place in her father's world, then there should be one here too. If that was the case, why hadn't the Sasuke of this world referred her there in the first place instead of having her go on a wild goose chase? Perhaps he didn't know about it or merely forgot about it. It was a small gut feeling but it aroused suspicion with Sasuke.

Karasu returned to the village for more sessions with the old woman. Her exercises at first were being able to access dreams through meditation or even through sleeping itself. As time went on, it became less of becoming familiar with the dream world but rather controlling it.

"Controlling your dreams takes a conscious effort. Now that you have become familiar with what the dream world looks like and feels like, you should be able to acknowledge this while in a dream and ultimately be able to do what you want." the old woman said.

"That's incredible." Karasu replied.

"It is, my dear Kara. However, at this stage in your lessons, you will only be able to change what you personally do, opposed to acting out of your control, as if tied to some sort of script. As your skill develops, you will be able to change the world of the dream around you. This opens a door for a number of things, for instance, if you need to recall a dream you once had. Keep in mind dreams aren't always of things we are familiar with. Sometimes they can be of people and places we've never seen or been to before. When you master this art, you will be able to visit these dreams as many times as you want." the old woman said.

"Is there any downside to learning all of this?" Karasu asked.

"There is. Having the power to essentially transcend reality can cause damage to your physical body, primarily your brain. Many people have gone insane learning this, but their error was their own for not understanding the boundaries which should not be crossed." the old woman said.

"What do you mean?" Karasu asked.

"Nightmares. They are powerful things. They become even more powerful the more you become attuned to the dream world. The ability to lucid dream should only be used to gain knowledge and obtain wisdom. Those who abuse this tend to seek to conquer fear itself. On the outside, it seems noble; someone to eliminate fear from their minds and become stronger. There are very few who have exposed themselves to their nightmares and have made it out alive. The rest underestimated how tremendous it would be and became overwhelmed by it, destroying their minds in the process. Typically those who are broken by this, kill themselves from the madness." the old woman explained.

Karasu's eyes widened in horror. The curiosity and temptation would potentially kill her if she wasn't careful.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Karasu flew up as high as she could towards the clouds. The higher she went, the more she could feel something pushing her down. She kept trying to fight it, but the more she focused on fighting, the more she got pushed down until she eventually fell towards the earth. She awoke from her trance frustrated.

"I don't understand. Why am I being pushed down like that?" she exclaimed.

"That is the barrier that we all have which prevents us from transcending our dreams. The key is not to fight it." the old woman said.

"If I don't fight it, then I won't overcome it." Karasu replied very perplexed.

"You aren't supposed to fight it. You will need whatever it is that gives you the ability to fly in your dreams. Surely you have felt it. It's that surge of power that flows through your body and as you expel it, you fly. You've done it so much, it's become second nature and you don't think about what it is or where it came from. If you couple that with your conscious self in your dream, you will be able to break the barrier and ascend beyond your dreams. Just remember my warning, this technique is only meant for pursuit of knowledge. Do not go trying to conquer your nightmares." The old woman replied.

"I don't know what it is that makes me fly in my dreams. I always just thought I was using my jutsu to fly like I would in the real world. Granted, it does feel slightly different flying in my dream than it does in real life." Karasu said.

"We will break from your training until you discover what that is. Until you figure it out, there is nothing else I can teach you." the old woman said exiting to the back room of her house.

Karasu watched as her mentor left her. The tone in her voice almost aggravated and disappointed. She left without saying a word to her mentor and walked aimlessly around the village. Something she hadn't noticed until now, but the villagers, they seemed to wear the same expression on their face as her master. She shrugged it off and finally made it home. Karasu laid in her bed trying to sleep thinking it would clear her head, but it didn't work. She threw off her covers and climbed up to the top of a tree to gaze out into the distance.

It had almost been six months since she began her training. After all this time, she couldn't even understand how she was doing it all. What was it that allowed her to do the things she did in her dreams? Was it a person, a place, or a thing? Just the slightest thought of it was enough to make her fly? Karasu closed her eyes and began to meditate. Out of habit, she found herself in her dreamworld. It was dark and lonely. It was constantly raining and she saw moments of her life flash before her when lighting struck. She fell to her knees and began to cry.

"What's wrong?" a child's voice called out to her.

Karasu looked up to see a little girl, about the age of seven looking at her concerned. She had blue hair, and gray eyes. It looked like a smaller version of her. "Who... Who are you?" she asked.

The little girl's eyes lit up and she smiled intensely "My name's Karasu and I'm seven years old. What's you name, miss?"

Karasu looked shocked and replied. "My name is Karasu, and I'm about to turn seventeen soon."

"We have the same name, that's super cool! Mommy always told me if I find someone with the same name as me, it'd bring me good luck if I became friends with them!" Young Karasu replied.

Karasu wiped her tears and let out a light giggle at the little girl's answer.

"Karasu, why were you crying?" Young Karasu asked.

"I don't know how to explain it..." Karasu began.

"You miss your mommy and daddy, don't you?" Young Karasu asked.

There was a slight pause, "Yes. I do. I miss them very much."

"Then why don't you go see them?" Young Karasu asked.

"It's because I lost my mother some time ago, and my father went missing and I don't know how to get to him." Karasu said with her tears beginning to form again.

Young Karasu grabbed Karasu's hand, pulling it up to her. "Then come with me to meet my mommy and daddy. They are really sweet people and I'm sure they'll make you happy." The smiled on her face full of confidence and excitement.

Karasu stood up and began to follow Young Karasu as she held her hand. Immediately as she began doing so, the world around her changed. It was no longer dark, it was no longer raining. Instead, she was in front of a familiar doorway. When Young Karasu opened it, it was bright and warm. Karasu looked around the room to see she was home. Young Karasu broke free and ran toward the open kitchen and dining room.

"Mommy, daddy, I'm home! I brought a new friend!" she said cheerfully.

"Oh, and what is your new friend's name?" an older man said. He had brown curly hair and brown eyes. Standing next to him was his wife who had blue hair and gray eye, just like her daughter.

Young Karasu tugged at her father's hand, "Her name is also Karasu!"

"Really now? That means you'll both have good luck." her father replied smiling at her and picking her up to hold her. Her looked over at Karasu and smiled.

Karasu felt her breath leave her. Before her stood her parents, Don and Konan. Both were smiling at her. Young Karasu cheerfully grinned at Karasu and said. "Don't ever forget what gives you strength Karasu. After all, now that we know each other, we'll both have good luck!"

Slowly the world around her began to dissolve and Karasu now looked at the open, blue sky. Her heart burst with the same energy she had always felt in her dreams and she shot straight up, however this time, the energy felt stronger and more potent than ever before. She felt some resistance but she clung to her feeling and next thing she knew, the sky shattered like broken glass.

Karasu opened her eyes and found herself among the ruins of an old village. She felt a familiar haze that she had felt when she was in Getsugakure. As if the air was trying to seduce her mind into some illusion.

"So it looks like you learned her old woman's ways?" a faintly familiar voice called out. "I guess it's as they say, like father, like daughter."

Karasu turned around to see a strange masked man standing before her. It was the same man who congratulated her father on solving his riddle which allowed him to return home. Her face filled with fear and anger, "You! What are you doing in here?!"

The man held up his hands, "Calm down Karasu, I mean you know harm. I'm merely here out of curiosity."

"Stay away from me. I want nothing to do with you! Thanks to you, my life was ruined!" she exclaimed.

"Actually, the blame isn't mine. It's mainly your father's but also yours. You see, I gave him a free ticket out of this world, but because of his life here with you and your mom, he declined. Naturally, free tickets can only be offered once so the next offer came at a price." the man replied.

"Just what kind of sick, twisted person are you?" Karasu asked.

"The name's Obito Uchiha, and not the twisted person you think I am. I merely want to see the world happy. You and this world were just a byproduct of an experiment I had in store for your father. I didn't expect it to come this far or produce the effects that it has." Obito replied.

"Explain yourself before I gut you." Karasu said standing up from the ground and holding out her kunai.

"Imagine a world where you have everything you want. There's no pain, no suffering, only happiness. All you have to do is perform a single jutsu and all you could ever have is at your disposal. I wanted that for your father's world. I knew nothing about its true nature so I made a list of people to subject this jutsu to, one of them, your father. The world you know now was made in part by your father. His deepest desires shaped the world to where he'd be happiest." Obito said.

"But it's all just a lie! It's all just a dream induced by your genjutsu!" Karasu shouted back.

"Is it really, little girl?! Give your father some credit, if all of this was fake, then why did your father stay? If all this was truly fake, then he would have taken my first offer to leave. He knew better!" Obito retorted.

"He stayed because of guilt! He used this place as a means to an end to make himself feel better. He left a trail of blood behind him to return what he knew was the truth, reality." Karasu said.

"Then answer me this, Karasu. Was Don satisfied when he left? Was his heart freed from the burden he carried for so many years?" Obito asked.

"Yes..." Karasu replied.

"You know as well as I do that Don would never settle for anything less than the real thing. He'd never entertain a fraudulent world to lay to rest the ghost of his past. The fact that he was satisfied when he left proves everything that happened during his twenty years here was the real thing." Obito said.

Karasu smirked, "You're wrong. I don't understand why you are trying to commend my father for all that happened here, but you're wrong in doing so. My father knew this place was a lie, but he was too weak to accept it. You didn't see it because you weren't there with him at the very last moment before he snapped and decided to leave this world. My father was a coward for twenty years. You can make the argument, that he used this lie to clear his conscious and that was a good thing, but at the end of the day, a lie is a lie."

"So tell me, if you and everything in this world is a lie, what will happen when you successfully reunite with your father again? Wouldn't you, in all actuality, disappear? You don't exist in his world. You were never born. Your mother is dead. Why pursue this knowing you're just an illusion?" Obito asked.

Karasu said nothing, unable to come up with an answer. Obito had a point with every word he said, but she also felt that her arguments were just as valid.

"Tell me why you are really here besides to debate with me philosophically over whether this world is real or not despite it being the product of a genjutsu?" Karasu asked after a few moments of silence.

"I felt a disturbance within this world so I began to investigate and to my surprise, it was you trying to break out to be untied with your father again. I have no intention to interfere, you are on your own, but I would like to see this through. I've never seen if it is possible for someone to break out of a dream world who was created in it. If you succeed, it will certainly me valuable information for me to collect." Obito said.

"You made a comment earlier about me learning _her_ ways, what did you mean by that?" Karasu asked.

"Karasu, look around you. What you see is the ruined remains of Yumegakure." Obito began, "A short time before you were born, this village was cast into pure madness. The old woman who taught you what you now know was the root cause of it all. She was a proud woman who played with the wrong side of her powers and in turn, unleashed a powerful genjutsu which destroyed the minds of everyone in the village including herself. It was a bloodbath as people were either killing each other or killing themselves from the sheer breakdown of humanity. All that was left was a curse, that whomever wondered into the village would become trapped in a genjutsu. Very few have broken out of it like you have, but those who did reported they were sent to a version of the village that was alive and normal. Those who couldn't escape lost their lives."

Karasu looked around and saw the ancient skeletons scattered around the old village. She couldn't even remember falling for the genjutsu, and it was a scary thought that she could have been trapped there forever. When she turned her attention back to Obito, he had vanished. Where he once stood was a scroll. She cautiously walked over to it, picked it up, and opened it. She discovered it was a map to an unlabeled location. Instead of an X, it bore a fan, which was the crest of the Uchiha clan. The mark was located on the mountain which overlooked Konohagakure. The same mountain with the hokage carved into it.


End file.
